Go back a year and Liverpool were in the middle of a run of eight straight victories, near the start of a spell of 15 victories and one draw in 16. Arne Slot’s every decision seemed to pay off. He was prospering by not buying. He proved ideally suited to Jurgen Klopp’s players.
Twelve months on, the struggle is to adjust to his own. Winning without spending back then, he is losing after paying record sums now. Slot has gone from eight consecutive victories to four defeats in a row. It is uncharted territory: for him personally, and for Liverpool in the decade since Klopp’s appointment.
